Everybody needs shoes

I have recently began a new weekly ritual. Every Sunday morning(ish), I wake up, make some strong coffee, sit around in my boxers, and consult my Lonely Planet Guide to Seoul. I pick a random site of interest, hop on the subway, and walk around for a few hours, snapping photos, and just enjoying my surroundings. I tend to be one of those people who gets really grumpy and sad on Sundays, knowing that the weekend went by way too quickly, and I have a whole new work week ahead of me. These little excursions have kept me positive and allowed me to see some beautiful sites, talk to interesting folks, and clear my head after an otherwise hectic week.


Yesterday I decided to head to Anguk Station and wander around the Anguk/Insadong area and just see where it takes me. I wandered through outdoor food markets, parks full of bright leaves and old men playing chess, temples that stood amidst skyscrapers and traffic jams, and eventually ended up at a man-made river that flows through the city center. I had been here once before with my friend Hyo Saeb. He told me the name but I can't remember it now. It's a popular spot for public events, photo ops, and that sort of thing. As I am approaching, I notice a large group of people sitting around tables, coloring shoes with markers. There were hundreds of pairs of shoes set up all around the square in intricate designs, weaving through little streams of water. The funny thing is that I never once stopped to think, "Hmm, why are these people coloring shoes and laying them out on this square?" You get used to seeing weird things pretty quickly in Seoul. A young (and very attractive) woman approached me and asked me if I knew what was going on. I told her I had no idea and she informed me that all of the shoes were being sent to children in Bangladesh. Looking around at all of the people (families, couples, hipsters) having a great time and doing something good for other people really made me feel good. Anyway, here are some pictures I took while I was there.